Senators also must deal with negotiations for Mark Stone and Cody Ceci

The Ottawa Senators general manager isn’t in the mood to discuss any contract talks, but the truth of the situation is that the National Hockey League club still has to get restricted free-agent winger Mark Stone and defenceman Cody Ceci signed to contract extensions, too.

It doesn’t end there, either, because the Senators must determine if centre Matt Duchene, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche last November, is willing to sign an extension before he could become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2019.

That won’t stop speculation that another team might try to swoop in and give Stone an offer sheet before the Senators can sign him to a long-term deal. Yes, that threat exists, but you have to deal in reality and it’s a move rarely made in the NHL.

There hasn’t been an offer sheet since Ryan O’Reilly signed a two-year, $10-million deal in 2013 with the Calgary Flames that was quickly matched by the Avalanche.

Offer sheets tend to be a waste of time, which is why nobody should fret about Stone. The Senators would likely just match, anyway, because he’s considered a core member of this team.

The Senators have had brief conversations with Stone’s camp, but you can expect him to file for salary arbitration by the July 15 deadline, as will Ceci, and then discussions will get serious.

Dorion is still focused on trying to add depth to the roster after free agency began Sunday.

“We’re still looking to improve our team,” he said. “It’s always finding the right mix. With our management group, it’s about finding out what we feel will give us the most success.

“We really want to change our team identity and we want to change the way we play and the way our lineup is built. We don’t want to brand it as a rebuild or re-tool, we just want to brand it as we’re going to be a better team next year. That’s what we’re striving to be.”

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